Ditch the car and save some dough

Public transit also helps reduce U.S. oil consumption, report says

StephanieI. Cohen

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Americans who use public transportation are helping save 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline each year, according to report released Tuesday by ICF International.

By riding buses, subways and trains to work each day Americans reduce the number of vehicles packing the roadways. That eliminates the need for 33.5 million barrels of oil each year, according to the report.

Households that use public transportation in lieu of cars also save money -- an average of $6,251 a year versus a household with two cars and no access to public transportation service, the report said. That figure includes the cost of maintaining two cars.

Just the fuel savings for a "public transportation household" is roughly $1,399 a year. After subtracting transit fares the savings is about $665 per year.

"The savings are dramatic," said William Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association, a nonprofit organization in Washington that commissioned the report.

More commuters turning to buses and rail

Public transportation has seen an upsurge in recent years, with ridership up 25% since 1995, according to the study. Long-term economic growth over the past decade and increased public transit availability over the same period have helped make public transit an option for more Americans, Millar said.

In the first quarter of 2006, public transportation use increased 4% over 2005, with light-rail ridership jumping more than 11%. Areas seeing the biggest increases include those with the largest bus systems -- Los Angeles, Detroit, Houston and Seattle, according to the report.

More-frequent spikes in gasoline prices, renewed interest in energy conservation and national security worries over volatility in the oil producing regions of the world also appear to be fueling this trend more recently.

Each time the price of a gallon of gasoline hits the $3 mark there is an increase in ridership, Millar said. "When you get a spike in use because of gasoline prices some of the [new riders] stick with you," Millar said. After Hurricane Katrina when gasoline prices shot up "we saw a huge upswing in ridership," he pointed out.

The American Public Transportation Association says the report's message is clear: more people using public transportation means greater household savings and fewer barrels of oil coming from the Middle East. The oil savings pitch is a new marketing tactic for public transit groups.

If twice as many Americans had the choice of taking public transportation, the gasoline savings would likely double to 2.8 billion gallons a year, according to the group. That's because most rail service and some buses use electric power, which use much less petroleum than similar trips taken using gasoline guzzling cars.

The group wants the new Congress to help make public transportation a priority and an option for more Americans. "People can't use what they don't have access to," Millar said.

Slightly more than half of U.S citizens live within three-quarters of a mile of public transportation, a distance equal to about a 15 minute walk.

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